What did you do with your extra day?

Hope you enjoyed your Leap Day...we sure did!

Let the Good Times Roll!

Mardi Gras is here...and we are enjoying it!  This year Mardi Gras coincided with President's Day which allowed for lots of our out of town friends to come and enjoy the festivities...making it extra special.

On Friday, Daniel had a parade at his school.  GranGran, John, and I attended.

Friday night brought a parade for all of us!  John's first!  We met the Watson's downtown for their first parade too.

Saturday was rainy...all parades were canceled.  We spent the day with the Watson's at our house.  The cousins had a blast playing!  That night everyone gathered here for dinner.  The whole family was here except for Daniel who was on call in Mississippi.  We had a great time visiting, eating, and watching the cousins run around!

Sunday night I bravely took the four down for the rescheduled MOT parade.  Chris was out of town, but I had Elizabeth and John and Susan and Rob with me.  MD and the kids met up with us.  The boys were still a bit afraid of the dragons, but they loved catching the throws.  It was a fun night!

Sweet John was a trooper.  He didn't fuss...despite it being well past his bedtime.  He fell asleep in the Baby Bjorn during the parade!

We finished up our celebrations today with the floral parade.  Mom and I took the boys downtown to watch.  Three boys on our street were parading so we had lots of people to scream for!

I think the boys got a little too comfortable with their parading skills.  At one point, William climbed under the barricade to get a moonpie during the parade.  Thankfully, we were able to get him back over quickly!!

Now we are done!  I'm not braving the streets tomorrow.  We'll be hunkered down at home enjoying a little well deserved vacation from school and carpool lines!  Happy Mardi Gras, y'all!

A Sewing Funk

Recently I have been in a sewing funk.  It's hard to find time to sit at my sewing table...too many other things that need to be done.  Once kids are in bed and dishes are washed, I just lack the energy to go sew. 

I spent two hours last Friday, while John napped and others were at school, perusing old sewing magazines and websites looking for Easter ideas.  I've done the math...I have made 5 French hand sewn bubbles, 3 FHS button on suits, 1 FHS romper, 5 FHS shirts, and 1 Eaton suit.  People, I am out of ideas!!  There's very little inspiration out there, too.

So while I am usually pumped about Easter sewing, I am having a hard time this year.  Saturday was Peanut Butter n Jelly Kids annual Super Bowl Sale.  I went and did a little damage.  I've got some ideas...just need to get started.

After the sale, I forced myself to finish some projects first.  Here's some sweet corduroy pants I made for William to go with all of his lace church shirts.  This fabric is gorgeous...picture doesn't do it justice.

John got two new bubbles.  The first was smocked by my friend Susan.  When she was pregnant with her first, she smocked several inserts for a baby boy...along with girl stuff too.  God blessed her with two baby girls, so she gave me this insert and fabric.  I put together the romper for John.  I love it!!

Next is a bubble I started when John was about 3 months old!!!  Finally finished it this weekend.  Pretty happy with it too!

Maybe completing a few things is the motivation I need to shake the sewing blues and get busy!  Plus, after these outfits are done there's lots of little daygowns to make for a special baby arriving in July! 

Hop off the floor, friends, it isn't mine!!!  My sister is expecting her first, and I can't wait to do a little sewing for this much anticipated little one.

Love is in the Air!

Happy Valentine's Day, friends!  Hope you are feeling the love!

Ours v-day work started earlier in the week.  Daniel signed his name on all of his valentines for school while Philip had to write a sentence to each of his classmates explaining why he liked them.  They worked hard...

Philip even made a special valentine for his teacher...

Sunday night when most of the house was quiet, I remembered that William's Valentine's Day party was the next morning.  We had not made our valentines!  Thankfully, W was still awake (thanks to a long nap), so we got busy with a special project for just the two of us...a rare treat!

This morning we started with a special breakfast...heart shaped Nutella stuffed french toast and heart-healthy oatmeal!  Each boy was greeted at the table with a new 'love' themed book!

Even lunch was themed for sweet Philip....

My little ones dressed in their best red for the special day.

After naps for John, we headed to Daniel's school to prepare for his Valentine's Day party that I was in charge of!

There's a yummy dinner to cap off the evening.  So grateful for all of my Valentines...but especially the biggest who as he says "makes this life of luxury" possible for me!

The Get Skinny Quick Diet

Gotcha with the title, didn't I??  I am here to report that I lost about 7 pounds in less than 24 hours.  Impressive, huh??  The trick....the horrid stomach bug.  Awful, blog friends, plain, awful.  Awful I imagine at any stage of life, but it felt pretty much topped out when there were 4 little people counting on me...one of which for sustenance.  What's a girl to do?? 

Call her Mom...call her early...call her often...like two days in a row.  Mom came in, as she always does, and manned the homefront.  Chris, wonderful as he always is, manned the carpool lines.  God love him, he also had his Mom in the hospital for some planned surgery.  Awesome dude that he is drove through 4 carpools, back and forth to the hospital, and somehow managed to bill a few hours too.  Couldn't have made it without these two!!

I missed a lot while I was in the bed...

Grandperson's Day at SPS...this broke my heart to miss but it was not possible for me to go...Chris took GranGran and all reports came back that it was a great show!  Dottie and I are looking forward to being there next year (for Daniel) with them!!

He was a zebra...after the show showing off the plate he made.

all boys breakfast at Krispy Kreme...and JDG's first doughnut!

yes John's bib says 'William'...no we aren't confused...just great recyclers

the first parade of the season for the boys

showing off their loot the next morning

All is better now.  I am fully recovered and Dottie is doing well too!  Have more updates for you, but for now I must get back to this messy house and laundry that was completely neglected for three days!

(Almost) Wordless Weekend Recap

This is for the hubby who is in the woods and likes to relax and listen to the outdoors surf the net while he waits for deer.  Here's a recap in pictures...and a few words...of our Saturday.

Homemade jail for JohnJohn to keep him out of the boys train tracks...

Nutella stuffed French toast for breakfast...so yummy!!

A trip to see Big Mama.

Well behaved boys deserve to let of some steam at the cool Fairhope playground...

Lunch out with GranGran.

Stroller ride/walk to Old Dutch for ice cream.

A good day.  Good boys.  Tired Mommy!  Come home, Daddy, we miss you!!